Wednesday letters to the editor

Published 7:00 pm, Tuesday, February 1, 2005

Faith hope gaining

I came across a letter from Cecil Frye recently in the MDN. I read it with great interest. Id figure I would throw in my two cents worth.

Mr. Frye does speak very well from his point of view and I appreciated what he had to say.

I would have to say that I dont see eye-to-eye with what he believes. I do believe in God and Im not talking about pie-in-the-sky, holy rolling or ultra-pious religion.

No, Im talking about a faith that is life-sustaining, sanity-retaining and hope gaining!

Since I know Mr. Frye personally, Ive had many enjoyable conversations with him about our beliefs.

Mr. Frye responded to Jay Childs, Jan. 11, 2005 article. I might say that I did agree with one thing. I do not believe the Bible to be Inerrant unquestionable.

I mean, if we look at modern times, do we follow the Old Testament commands to slaughter non-Jews, Ciethe, Amalalcites, worshippers of Baal, Molech, etc.?

Of course not! If we did, then wed be in prison for a very long time, friends.

I do love God and though Im not perfect (I can be a jerk!), I try not to look down on those with differing beliefs. Ever! Atheists, as well as my fellow Christians, have taught me things too! Thank you all for reading.

Adam Yatch

Midland

Actions dont match words

To the editor:

Last month, on Human Rights Day, George Bush proclaimed that respect for human rights and the rule of law "line the route to peace and security."

But what have been the actions of this administration regarding the rule of law and human rights? Is freedom from torture not an inalienable human right, one that is guaranteed by international law?

Our countrys reputation for abiding by international law has suffered as a result of this administrations blatant disregard for the Geneva Conventions. Alberto Gonzales, White House Counsel and nominee for Attorney General, defined permissible torture in a January 2002 memo as anything short of death, permanent psychological damage, or organ failure. He has referred to the Geneva Conventions as "quaint" and "obsolete."

With this attitude coming from the high ranks in our government, men, women, children and the elderly have been the subjects of torture or ill-treatment. Amnesty International has compiled a list of 45 methods that have been used, including abduction, death threats, electric shocks, excessive strip searches, exposure to weather extremes, forcible injections, induced perception of suffocation, physical assault, beating, punching, kicking, sexual assault, sexual humiliation, withholding food, water, or medication, threat of transfer to Guantanamo, threats against a relative and withholding toilet facilities. Some of these atrocities were captured in photographs of Abu Ghraib.

Cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatments such as these are prohibited under international law. Yet, Amnesty goes on to say that an FBI agents e-mail from Iraq "refers to an Executive Order signed by you [Bush] which authorizes interrogation techniques which should be considered contrary to international law standards." This administration has also denied human rights monitors (including Amnesty International) access to detainees held by the U.S. Hundreds of detainees in Guantanamo have been held there for years, without access to lawyers. Many relatives of these detainees refer to their loved one as "having disappeared."

Freedom from torture is an inalienable human right. The U.S. should be leading the world as a role model in this cause. One step in the right direction would be to oppose the nomination of Alberto Gonzales as Attorney General. Another step would be to let your representatives and this President know that torture of human beings is not what the U.S. stands for.

Cherie Marks

Midland

There is no crisis

To the editor:

Once again President Bush is saying Americans are facing another crisis. This time it is Social Security and it needs to be reformed immediately.

Crisis defined by the American College Dictionary as a "time of great danger or trouble." When President Bush talks about Social Security he implies it all goes to retirees when in reality 13% goes to disabled workers), 14% to survivors of deceased and 10% to spouses and children of retired and disabled workers. President Bush also should be telling Americans that of about 48 million Americans who are receiving Social Security, 1/5 or 20% of the retirees, this is all the income they have.

President Bush is telling us that if we leave Social Security as it is, crisis and bankruptcy are fast approaching.

The President should give the American people all the facts. From 1984-2017, the Social Security trust will build a surplus of more than $3 trillion.

On 2018, it is projected the trust will need to be used to pay 100% of promised benefits until 2042. The Congressional Budget Office extends the maximum to 2052.

Yes, Social Security has a problem that must be addressed but by no stretch of the imagination can it be labeled a crisis.